Recordings

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JAMES ILGENFRITZ: The Ticket That Exploded (An Opera)

(2015, Con D’Or)

James Ilgenfritz leads the Anagram Ensemble in a radical cut-up opera based on the 1962 novel of the same name by genre-breaking literary experimentalist William S. Burroughs. Full of abrasive guitars, shimmering strings, flailing saxophones, and fragmented linguistics, this opera uses the same radical cut-up techniques Burroughs pioneered in his writings.

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Hypercolor – Hypercolor(2015, Tzadik Spotlight Series)

A crazy collaborative jazz-rock unit out of the new generation of Downtown improvisers, Hypercolor is a bizarre trio that blends Beef- heart, Sonny Sharrock and ’80s punk with contemporary classical orchestral textures, spastic world music rhythms and noise improvisation. Sonic madness featuring the twisted guitar of Eyal Maoz, the deep toned bass of James Ilgenfritz and the grooving drums of African music aficionado Lukas Ligeti.

Lukas Ligeti: Drums, Eyal Maoz: Guitar, James Ilgenfritz: Bass

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JAMES ILGENFRITZ: COMPOSITIONS (BRAXTON) 2011

(2012, Infrequent Seams)

70 minutes of solo contrabass performances of the music of Anthony Braxton, integrating well-known materials from Braxton’s quartet repertoire, trumpet cadenzas from Composition 103 (for 7 trumpets) and orchestral parts, with some of his numerous improvisation and structuring systems, including the Ghost Trance Music, Coordinate Music, Pulse Tracks, and Language Musics.

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MARONEY/ILGENFRITZ/NIESCIER/DURY: MiND GAMeS

(2012, OutNow Recordings)

A radical redefinition of the standard jazz quartet, relocating the focal point of the ensemble interaction so that texture and timbre are given primacy over rhythm and melody. The ensemble responds to dynamic shifts in texture with a level of interactivity that is usually afforded only to rhythm, harmony, and melody.

“The only things Duane Pitre wants to overcome on Feel Free are his own ingrained work habits and the mandates of his material … the music proceeds without conflict into a three-dimensional fractal framework of curved contours and bright, pulsating nodes. Remaining poised and infinitely deep throughout, it’s gorgeous stuff.” – The Wire

Third recording by this trio, and first to feature guitarist Chris Welcome. Dedicated to our close friend, drummer John McLellan (the original third member of this trio). Also noteworthy about this recording is the unusual split-release format. Taking a page from some of the best punk labels out there (Skin Graft comes to mind immediately), This is a two-sided release, the other half featuring “Pine Barrens”, a collection of new solo music by saxophonist Josh Sinton.

Billy Fox’s previous releases had the classical format of the suite, & this new album is presented as a collection of sweets (“Dulces”). One track is by India’s Rabindranath Tagore, & his influence is felt everywhere: Idiomatic elements of South Asian, Middle Eastern and African musics, are viewed through the filter of a jazz ensemble.

The aim of Eric John Eigner’s Mysterium is to harness the vibrancy, creativity and spirit of improvised music through the composition process, using the live composing language, Soundpainting, in real time. As an additional challenge, this band does this while also making music that’s danceable.